According to the statement made by the China National Space Administration, the components of the reconnaissance vehicle were transported to Haynan Island by two military cargo planes and brought to the Vincang Space Center where the launch will take place. After the 4-part reconnaissance vehicle is assembled here, pre-launch checks will be carried out. Scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2024, the "Chang'ı 6" exploration vehicle aims to collect rock and soil samples from the dark side of the Moon.
Named after the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology, Chang's exploration missions started with the "Chang'ı 1" and "Chang'ı 2" satellites sent into lunar orbit in 2007 and 2010. The exploration missions, which aimed to map the Moon, were intended to prepare for a soft landing on the surface.
In the "Chang'i 3" mission, the rover exploration vehicle called "Yütu" (Jade Rabbit) was landed on the lunar surface on December 14, 2023.
In the "Chang'i 4" mission, China landed the "Yütu-2" rover on the dark side of the Moon on January 3, 2019, becoming the first country to achieve this.
"Chang'ı 5", the first exploration vehicle planned to collect samples from the surface of the Moon, returned to Earth on December 16, 2020 with 1.73 kilograms of rock and soil samples collected after its launch on November 24, 2020.
China plans to continue its exploration activities on the Moon with new missions in the coming years. In this context, after "Chang'i 6", "Chang'i 7" missions are planned to explore the lunar south pole in 2026 and "Chang'i 8" missions are planned in 2027 to verify natural resource capacity and availability and to conduct tests for the construction of a spaceport on the lunar surface.
The country aims to organize manned expeditions to the Moon in the 2030s and lay the groundwork for further exploration activities by establishing an International Lunar Research Base.
